Fishing Forecast

Nebraska’s largest waters are the state’s best walleye habitats and consistently provide the best fishing. Walleye populations in these waters are dynamic, often changing in response to fluctuating water levels. The highest total sampling rates of walleyes in the fall of 2025 were at Winters Creek, Merritt, Oliver, Maloney, Elwood, and Box Butte. Merritt, Winters Creek, Sutherland, Crescent, and Elwood will be particularly good for 15-20-inch walleyes in 2026.

Anglers targeting big walleyes should plan trips to McConaughy, Elwood, Box Butte, and Sherman reservoirs. Smaller waters are less ideal walleye habitats, but several of those will offer some walleye opportunities this year. Czechland, Prairie Queen, and Skyview will give anglers a chance to catch walleyes in eastern Nebraska. Oliver, in the Panhandle, had a lot of walleyes sampled, most of them less than 15 inches long. 

White bass also are open-water predator fish that thrive in Nebraska’s largest reservoirs. Water level fluctuations also drive reservoir white bass populations. The most white bass in 2026 will be found at Calamus, Red Willow, Enders, Lewis and Clark, Sutherland, and Sherman. Calamus, Sutherland, Sherman, Enders, and Harlan reservoirs will be particularly good for white bass larger than 12 inches this year. For the biggest white bass, fish larger than 15 inches, anglers should target Johnson, Calamus, Willow Creek, Sherman, and Harlan. 

Wipers are white bass x striped bass hybrids, and like their parent species, also are most successful in open-water habitats – Nebraska’s largest reservoirs. Southwest reservoirs Swanson and Red Willow will offer high numbers of wipers in 2026. Harlan again will have numbers of wipers this year, as well as Minatare, Elwood and Calamus. Anglers looking for trophy wipers in 2026 should fish Swanson, Elwood, Red Willow, Jeffrey and McConaughy. In the east, Zorinsky and Wanahoo will provide anglers opportunities to catch wipers. All wipers caught at Zorinsky must be immediately released. 

Anglers can take their kids to catch some “sunnies” on just about any small body of water in Nebraska. The best waters are always those that produce 8-inch and larger bluegills. Small- to medium-size reservoirs across Nebraska offer some of the best bluegill fishing every year with Box Butte, Maple Creek, Duck Creek, Maskenthine, Walnut Creek, Willard Meyer and Conestoga topping the list in 2026.

Nebraska’s Sandhill lakes offer lower densities of bluegills but can produce some trophy bluegills with the biggest fish exceeding one pound. The best Sandhill lakes this year will be Swan and Blue. Anglers should remember big bluegills are rare fish worthy of having a picture taken and then returning to the water. Pits and ponds like Louisville #3 and Sandy Channel #4 also will produce some quality bluegills. 

Crappies are another panfish that can be found throughout Nebraska, with the quest being to find waters that will produce fish larger than 10 inches. Red Willow, Davis Creek, Hayes Center, Sherman, Willard Meyer, Red Cedar, and Wanahoo will be some of the state’s best crappie waters 2026.

Other waters that will be good for crappies this year will be Harlan, Medicine Creek and Louisville #3. Sandhill lakes tend to have lower densities of panfish like crappies, but can offer some of the biggest, fattest, black crappies in the state. Home Valley and Blue lakes will be the best of the Sandhills crappie fisheries this year. 

Largemouth bass thrive in water bodies that offer stable water levels, clean water and an abundance of shallow-water cover, especially aquatic vegetation. In Nebraska, small reservoirs, Sandhill lakes, pits, and ponds provide the best of that habitat. Some of those waters can have high densities of bass, which favors excellent panfish fishing as largemouth bass keep panfish numbers in check. However, waters with lots of bass may not necessarily be the best for big bass. When looking at the sampling data for the best bass waters, those with the highest numbers of bass may not offer opportunities to catch fish larger than 15 inches. On the other hand, lower densities of largemouth bass can offer the best chances to catch bass larger than 15 inches.

Some small- to medium-size reservoirs that will be particularly good this year include Summit, Youngman, Cub Creek, Walnut Creek, Burchard and Kramper. Pits are some of the best bass fisheries in the state. Louisville #2, Darr, Fremont Slough, Two Rivers #2 and #3, Humphrey, and Sandy Channel #8 will offer some excellent bass fishing in 2026. In the Sandhills, Frye Lake will be a good bet for 15-inch and larger bass. Private waters always produce some of the best bass fishing, and many Nebraska anglers have permission to fish these. In addition, some private pits and ponds have been enrolled in the Open Fields and Waters Program and are open to the public. Refer to the Public Access Atlas.

Channel catfish are a popular fish in Nebraska and are found widely across the state. Lake North, Minatare, Willow Creek, Big Alkali, Stagecoach, Branched Oak and Pawnee will all offer good numbers of 16-inch and larger channel catfish in 2026. For even larger cats, fish longer than 24 inches, anglers should plan to fish Stagecoach, Box Butte, and Powder Creek this year. Voluntary catch and release of large, trophy catfish is a practice that should be considered by anglers on any Nebraska water as it takes years to grow channel cats that large. For a different experience, try Nebraska’s warm-water rivers like the Missouri, Platte, Elkhorn, or Niobrara as they also are excellent catfish fisheries. There are some areas where public access is available on Nebraska rivers, check out the Open Fields and Waters Program for access to warm-water streams and rivers on private lands. 

Nebraska also has waters that support cold-water fish year-round where anglers can pursue a TROUT Slam catching rainbows, browns, brooks, and possibly even cutthroats. Most of the cold-water trout streams are found in western and northern parts of the state; the East Branch Verdigre Creek, Long Pine, Soldier, and Ninemile creeks are favorites among trout anglers. In 2026 the rainbow and cuttbow (cutthroat x rainbow hybrids) trout fishing at Lake Ogallala will be excellent. Anglers might even catch some cutties from the White River and the Wood Reserve Ponds in Nebraska’s Pine Ridge.